The School of Social Work at Renison University College is pleased to offer Canada’s first health-focused online Master of Social Work (MSW) program. The MSW program is being offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo.
The MSW is a professional graduate degree program, delivered primarily in online education format.
If you hold a Bachelor of Social Work degree, and wish to remain in your home community while pursuing a graduate degree in social work, this program is for you.
On-campus attendance is mandatory on two occasions for full one-week courses offered in Summer Institutes. The first one-week Summer Institute occurs in August at the start of the program and the second Summer Institute occurs in the final semester of the program, during the month of July or August (TBD). All other required courses are delivered online and have no on-campus component.
Both full-time and part-time students learn though interactive online courses featuring a variety of rich media and opportunities for engagement. Online delivery is provided by the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL). Access to reliable high-speed internet service is highly recommended in order to have the best experience with our online courses.
The MSW field education program requires 462 hours (at a minimum of two 7-hour days per week) in an approved practicum in the student’s own community or region (normally other than the student’s place of employment), subject to the availability of suitable placement agencies/organizations and field instructors.
The MSW program will prepare students for advanced social work practice in a range of settings related to health, including public health and health promotion programs, primary care and long-term care, hospitals, health-related governmental agencies, community-based health services, and health advocacy groups.
Practicing in this field involves working with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations on issues such as health promotion and disease prevention, health promotion in the workplace, health education, treatment and rehabilitation, building community partners and social support, and/or health reform promotion.
The program and its courses will assume a holistic view of health that incorporates the political, environmental, psychosocial, biological, and spiritual determinants of health in social work practice.
The MSW program is an applied professional degree program that is course-based and practicum-based.